Richborough Roman Fort is where the Roman invasion of Britain began. Today it still has impressive remains of the 30 foot high walls and deep defensive ditches. Explore the fort which is set in the open, scenic Kent countryside. My film takes you on a full tour with interesting facts and history about the site.
Reasons to visit Richborough:
• Spacious, open countryside, location packed with history.
• This is where the Roman invasion of Britain began in AD 43.
• It is the only site in Britain which tells the full story of the Roman occupation from start to finish.
• Emperor Claudius landed here with war elephants to accept the surrender of 11 tribal Kings.
• It was the main port of Britannia, a thriving town which the Romans called Ruputiae.
• It had an 85 foot tall triumphal arch, adorned in white marble, one of the largest arches in the entire Empire. Richborough was the symbolic gateway to the Roman Empire.
• Richborough has the impressive remnants of a third century, Saxon Shore fort, with 30 foot high walls and 10 metre wide ditches, one of a chain of forts built to defend against pirate raids.
• It was on the front-line of a breakaway Empire from Rome, established in AD 287 by Carausius, the first British Empire.
• Richborough has some of the earliest evidence of Christianity in the United Kingdom, the remains of a fourth century church.
• This is where the first Roman road in Britain started, Watling Street, which travelled to London and beyond.
Location:
Off Richborough Road,
Sandwich,
Kent,
CT13 9JW
By car
SAT NAV
Postcode : CT13 9JW
Latitude : 51.289701
Longtitude : 1.328818
The site is run by English Heritage and has a museum, shop, toilets and offers some limited refreshments. The site has a small car park.
The site of the town’s amphitheatre is nearby and can also be visited although little remains visible today.
Since filming Richborough Roman Fort, has added a timber gateway - a replica of the original that stood on the exact spot. The gate was part of a fortification with a defensive rampart and two deep ditches, and the first structure they built during the invasion. You can climb up the rampart and then head to the top of the gateway for stunning views.
Why not travel to the fort by boat with trips run by the Sandwich River Bus run boat trips from The Quay, Sandwich, Kent, CT13 9EN. They run trips run weekends and school holidays all year, also Thursday and Friday from Easter until mid September, weather permitting, 11am to 6pm, or dusk in winter.
Credits
Music credits:
Courtesy of Epidemic Sounds
ES To All the Glory by Howard Harper-Barnes
• To All the Glory
ES Legions by Jo Wandrini
• Legions
ES One Last Battle by Edgar Hope
• One Last Battle
ES The Battle of the Nile by Grant Newman
• The Battle Of The Nile
ES March Towards the End by Bonnie Grace
• March Towards the End
ES A Change is Coming by Edward Karl Hanson
• A Change Is Coming
ES The Norman Kings by Bonnie Grace
• The Norman Kings
ES The Quiz by Edward Karl Hanson
• The Quiz
Video Credits
Elephant grazing in African scrubland - courtesy of Stand up for Nature/Videvo
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/b...
Tower Bridge close up aerial - courtesy of Videvo
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/b...
Stills
Carausius coin
Wikimedia
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/b...
The Roman re-enactors featured in this film are the excellent Ermine Street Guard who put on displays throughout the year at various Roman sites and are well worth going to see them in action.
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Film © MrFord4210